This week, The Walt Disney Company, which has approximately 200,000 employees spanning the globe, decided to radically reshape its politics in response to a tiny contingent of radical activists. According to The Wall Street Journal, Disney CEO Bob Chapek had steadfastly refused to embroil his company in the politics of the various states and countries where Disney did business; he correctly noted that the job of the company was to continue to make magic, not to do the political bidding of any favored coterie.
Then, the state of Florida passed a law that would ban the indoctrination of small children into left-wing perspectives regarding gender identity and sexual orientation. And all hell broke loose. Senior Disney executives began circulating letters stating that the company opposed the Florida legislation, which opponents had falsely labeled the "Don't Say Gay" bill (the bill doesn't mention the word gay once). And some employees threatened a walkout if Disney did not reorient itself toward their favored political position.
So Chapek caved. He sent a letter to staff stating, "You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry." He then pledged a listening tour, the formation of a task force to cater to LGBT priorities, and opposition to a Texas measure that would prosecute genital mutilation or hormonal sterilization of children. The company also committed itself to injecting its radical left-wing values in content, including "new content for children and family" infused with those values. According to reports, Disney even went so far as to commit to including a lesbian kiss in its upcoming children's film "Lightyear."
Chapek is caving because this is what left-leaning corporations do: they listen to their most outraged left-wing contingent, and then parrot them. Instead of giving an answer proper to an employer besieged by employees threatening a walkout -- telling the employees to get back to work or join the unemployment lines -- major companies simply surrender. Meanwhile, parents who simply wish their children to be entertained without being indoctrinated watch in perplexed horror as radical activists design content for their children.
In order to combat this nonsense, those who oppose the hijacking of major companies by the Left must get organized -- and they must create alternatives. That's what we've tried to do at The Daily Wire. In 2021, Harry's Razors withdrew their advertising on one of our shows, citing a "values misalignment." What precisely was the problem? Our host had stated that men are men and women are women, and that sex is immutable.
So, we fought back. This week, we launched Jeremy's Razors, a razor company dedicated to the proposition that everyone, regardless of politics, deserves a good shave. We are here to provide you excellent products for you to use. And we will never slap our customers in the face thanks to the priorities of a woke few. That's why our motto is simple: "Shut up and shave."
If corporations decide to go woke, there must be competitors who assure that they will go broke. And we hope to fill that gap. We only hope others will follow our lead.
Ben Shapiro, 38, is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of "The Ben Shapiro Show," and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers "How To Destroy America In Three Easy Steps," "The Right Side Of History," and "Bullies."
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